Pink Moon
by CrypticMoonFang
Summary: There are mysterious and vague rumors floating around...about a feral pink-haired girl. Captured and mistaken for an enemy ninja, she is relocated from her natural home in the forest to the Hidden Leaf. Story is better than summary. NaruSaku
1. Chapter 1

~Chapter 1~

It was yet another night. It was another trial she had to face, another night she had to triumph over...by surviving to see the next night. It was winter. Winter, the worst season of any. Food was scarce, water froze, and if she couldn't find shelter from the frigid winds and blizzards, she would die. It was always like this. She would one day die out here; she knew it. Fate had not been on her side, ever. The glorious snow that blanketed the ground glistened beautifully in the moon's pale light.

From deep under the root cavity of a old diseased hemlock tree, a girl rose. She was cautious, careful. She was quiet, stealthy. She evened her breathing so it couldn't be heard. She came above-ground trembling, for the only thing she could ever do in winter was shiver. She shivered to survive, her life depended on each action she chose to make. The wrong one could cost her a slow and painful death. And the right one could always end up going wrong. Her life was never easy.

She hobbled over to a berry bush near her tree. It was devoid of berries and leaves. There was nothing to gain from this bush. There was poisonous grass, but she would not eat it. Humans were instinctive creatures, they wanted to pink-haired girl was no different.

She had never known, however, that so close to her lie a village. In this village contained a Hokage, ninja, and many kindly people. She did not know what a village was. She had never known the wonders of being able to safely play in the snow with friends, or to enjoy a snow-cone. She had no idea what the concept of roasting marshmallows over the fire was, and indulging oneself in hot chocolate and equally hot cookies.

The only thing she knew was death, fear, struggle, and awareness. But then, all those things were to be expected of her, right? She lived here, in this barren forest. She survived here, she ate here, she breathed here. It was her home, the only place she knew to be safe. Yet she had no weapons with which to defend herself; she had nothing to preserve her food. There was very little water in winter; when the blessed water finally did arrive, it was always in the form of a terrible maelstrom. The inside of her "burrow", which she had dug out herself many a year ago, even though it was lined with dried grasses and occasional feathers for warmth, was always frozen over with miniscule crystals of ice. There would usually be ice coating the ground that next morning.

However, the things she did in these woods was the only way she knew how to live. Had she known any differently, she would've gone for it.

The pink-haired girl scooped up two handfuls of snow and breathed on them. The only thing she could do was hope that her body heat would melt the snow into water. Of course, breathing on the snow would help speed things up. And in the forest, time was everything. There was never enough of it in one night. During the day, she slept, that was why night was so essential. The reason for changing her sleeping schedules from night to day would be for safety reasons. Many predators came out during the day, and so did many animals. The predators and animals were awake. Any animal that wouldn't eat her was to be eaten. Any animal that would eat her was to be avoided. With both the threat and the prey asleep throughout the night, it only made sense that in order to adapt to this unforgiving lifestyle, the girl would become nocturnal. And it had paid off to be a good decision so far. She gathered small meals, varying from nuts that squirrels had buried to unconscious small animals. Every night was spent doing this. She had tried to store up fat in the spring and summer, but she was burning her fat reserves up quickly. She was already thin enough; it would be too easy to die of starvation here.

Meat was a specialty that could only be obtained through a silent kill. It had to be done flawlessly and rapidly. And the victim had to keep quiet, lest all other forest-dwellers awaken.

That night, the girl managed to somehow get close enough to a winter hare to grab it, snap its neck, and carry it off to the frozen stream a little ways out from her tree. There it would be eaten raw, for the mysterious pink-haired girl that nightly bathed in the dull light of the moon had nothing to cook it with, nor some way to dry it out. The most she could do was eat it while it was still warm. Afterward she had to be careful to punch a hole in the stream and wash off her hands and mouth. The faintest traces of blood were always detected by something. The daytime predators liked to go after sleeping prey, just as she liked to. Thankfully, her sense of smell, hearing, and touch had heightened greatly since she hadn't much use for her eyes in this forsaken darkness. Amazingly enough, though, this same forsaken darkness had never forsaken her, it had protected her very essence. Without the comforting embrace of this solid blackness, she would not have made it to live this long.

* * *

><p>"Alright, alright," a blonde-headed boy said, making motions with his hands to tell everyone to settle down. "I have to admit, that story was pretty good, but now, I want to tell you a <em>real <em>story_._"

It had been such a great night for ghost stories, the male shinobi of the Hidden Leaf village had gathered around and proceeded to tell stories of things made up, things overheard, and things that had been legends since long ago.

"Please, Naruto, you stink at telling stories like this. You don't even add any effects to it! No spooky sounds, no jumping up to scare us, nothing," a brown-haired boy with a large white pet dog pointed out. The canine companion barked in agreement.

Naruto didn't even look offended. "This isn't something I made up, though. It's a legend even Grandma Tsunade knows about. And the best part...it takes place right in the woods that surround our village..."

Now that everyone, including the previously skeptical Kiba and Akamaru, were now interested. They had heard many a legend, but whenever Naruto told a legend, which was rare for him, he always emphasized certain parts to make it sound better. The announcement of a legend being told even captured the attention of Shikamaru, who wasn't even willing to come to this gathering. Negi hadn't really cared, he just thought the information could be useful. Kakashi, however, probably knew about whatever his pupil was about to say. Choji had wanted to come and helped Kakashi convince Shikamaru to come.

"They say," the genin began, "that there's a person, a girl, actually, who lives in those woods. They say she was born from demon hellspawn. One day, a strong ninja went into those woods where the girl lived. He never came back alive. When they sent a search party out a couple days later, they found the man dead. His arms had been ripped off his body, and he had broken bones left and right. After that day, all village ninja were cautioned about the demoness in the woods."

"What does the girl look like?" Negi asked.

"Nobody knows, because the only person who's ever seen her and lived to tell the tale now has amnesia. He can only remember that she was a girl. But there's been proof she exists. The other day, I was out in the woods, thinking she wasn't real and it was just a trick to scare us younger ninja, but I was dead wrong. I saw footprints of a human right beside the empty carcass of a stray cat. I followed a trail of blood to a stream that looked like it had had a hole punched in the ice, but the trail ended right then and there," he said. "Now, they call that part of the forest 'Pink Moon Forest', because the man who saw her claimed she was standing on a tree branch, and he could only see her silhouette against the moon's light."

"Woah..." Kiba whispered.

So it was thus the first time the boys, save for Naruto and Kakashi, had heard about this long-standing legend about a demon girl who destroyed any who dared trespass upon her forest.

Later that night they agreed that the one who told the legend, Naruto, would go back into the woods at night, which was the time of day when the man claimed to have seen her, and search for the demoness. If he should fail to at least find evidence of her existence, they would write off the legend as something Naruto made up. If, however, he should bring back evidence, they would fully believe him. Being the silly blond-haired ninja that he was, Naruto agreed and awaited the next night's coming.

After all, a girl like that...couldn't really exist.

* * *

><p>A girl with pink hair rose from her hollow root cavity under the huge hemlock tree. There was still snow on the ground, even more snow than before. It was knee-deep now, and her bare legs were freezing. The only clothing she had was a dirtied and stained gown, which was now mixed colors thanks to the dirt, blood, snow, water, and berry juices that had gotten on it over all the years she had possessed it. She had grown so much since then, the gown was now more of a dress that came up to her thighs. It left her legs bare and exposed. It left her arms in the same condition. And it did little to help warm her.<p>

Walking became hard for three reasons: one, she couldn't feel her legs, two, her legs were so stiff from the cold, and three, the snow wasn't the easiest thing in the world to push through. It was also unsafe because anything could be lurking under the snow, waiting and watching for something to pass by so it could strike. But she was hungry, and the slightest loss of weight could mean life or death, especially in winter. So finding food was much more than just to satisfy a growling belly.

She stopped momentarily to try to regain warmth before pressing forward. Her teeth chattered and her eyes felt heavy. Her legs had lost almost all sensation in them; soon she wouldn't be able to walk without tripping over herself every step of the way. It was time, whether she want to or not, to turn back. She could warm up again in her underground house; that is, if wasn't already frozen over. Then, once warm enough, she could try again. She could repeat this as many times as it took, because there were no chores to take up her time.

* * *

><p>Naruto trekked carefully and cautiously through the woods. He had just entered the deepest part of the vast forest, the part that was by now considered a different forest altogether because of the tales of the lethal demoness that inhabited it. Pink Moon. The name sounded like the title of an amusement park, however to the residents of the Hidden Leaf, it had become synonymous with death; the hellspawn of a girl who had slain a jounin-ranked ninja had made sure those who knew of her dared not trespass upon her land.<p>

Naruto was half-scared, half curious. It was strange to him that even a demoness could withstand such extreme temperatures of wintertime night. But he knew very little about such spiritual beings. He didn't know how this girl had come to be, nor how she had come to live in this very forest that harbored so many creatures and fascinating plants. Perhaps it was for those reasons that the girl took a liking to the place, and decided it her home.

The snow was deep to begin with, but he hadn't been prepared for such immense amounts of snow. The village was kept tidy because of the masses of people who cared for their homes. But this place...this place was a living nightmare! How could anyone or anything want to live as such? Unless they were fugitives who had no lace to go... No, nevermind. Not even a fugitive would opt to stay here, even if for one day.

This place was also pretty. The snow underneath him, and throughout the entirety of the forest, shone a gorgeously romantic sparkling white. It hung onto tree branches and help the icicles to drape from rocks, branches, and even fallen logs. The moon's light was reflected through these icicles, and it proved in fantasy stories to be a wonderland, its treasure the sight itself. This was a scene described only in fables told to small children to put them to rest come nighttime. In reality, though, this was a deserted wasteland. There were no fruits bared by bushes or trees. There was no meat that one could catch. There was only the snow to drink. To top it, the temperatures were definitely that of the Ice Age. Nothing, absolutely nothing, could survive in this inhospitable land.

His watched in awe as his breath materialized in front of him, quickly dissipating into nothing.

* * *

><p>The pink-haired girl paused from searching out a slumbering animal. She peered precariously over the side of a large branch that she had been resting on to escape the icy ground below. A strange creature was walking below. Figuring it a nighttime predator, she remained motionless and tried to stave off her shivering. She somehow managed. This creature was so foreign, so strange...<p>

Though humans were, by nature, inquisitive creatures, the girl had long ago lost her curiosity. It was often curiosity which killed the unlucky animals of the forest. A bird that was mesmerized by a snake would be eaten without hesitation. She did not want to be that bird.

She didn't know her home looked "beautiful" and "surreal". She only knew that it was her home. It was no haven or oasis, granted, but it was where she lived; where else was she to go? This place was the only one she had known for years. It would not be so easily parted with.

The girl was careful not to shake the branch she was placed on. It would no doubt attract the attention of the creature below, something she least wanted.

* * *

><p>The genin was beginning to regret his decision to show off in front of the other boys. This place was already treating him harshly. His fingers, toes, and face were all chilled; how long would it be before frostbite set in? Or gangrene? Ah, this place was just impossible! Maybe he could find some footprints or something to show the others. Hopefully he'd be done with his quest soon... Then he could get back home and warm up by a fire, roasting delicious nuts and other treats.<p>

"Ah, I already miss home..." he said aloud to himself.

* * *

><p>The pink-haired girl shuddered in fear when the mysterious creature spoke. Her movement shook the branch, and icicles, paired with snow clumps, fell off.<p>

The branch was slippery because of its icy armor, so the girl held on as tightly as possible with her whole body. Now that some of the snow was gone, there wasn't as much traction as before. She couldn't stand up for fear of falling down with the icicles.

Most of the snow hit the boy, some of the smaller icicles, too. He angrily wiped it off him and cursed the place for being so unkindly. But it was when he noticed that along with the snow, icicles had also come raining down, that he looked up into the semi-thick darkness of the moonlit night. The frightened girl tried to look inconspicuous by staying still and not breathing. She made no noise, made no movements, and tried to do anything she could to remain unseen. It was just like an animal camouflaging itself in the forest trees during spring, or a winter rabbit shedding its brown fur to be replaced by concealing white fur to blend into its new snowy environment.

* * *

><p>Naruto was having a hard time pinpointing the exact location of the branch that had so rudely assaulted him. There were branches everywhere! They criss-crossed and grew around each other. It was confusing just to look at. Each branch looked the same as the next. There were no leaves on any of them. All had been shed onto the fall ground once nature sensed winter's approach. Now the trees of the forest looked dead.<p>

The thought that the demoness might've done it struck him as a possible reality. That having been said, he searched all the harder through the weaving branches that were coated with snow. It was the same white-and black outlines that were making it hard to tell if he'd just searched one area as compared to the next. however, he soon saw one slight difference in the thicker branches that lingered closer to the trunks of their trees. There was a curious shape on the thick end of one of the larger branches. It wasn't moving, so he didn't think of it as a living being...at first. As his eyes grew more and more accustomed to the night scenery, he could see the vague outline of...the closest color he could think of was peach-colored, so peach-colored...uh...it looked like limbs. In fact, the limbs bent to reveal what seemed to be two elbows. And it disappeared from there.

He was amazed at just how much of this he could make out, but the moon was full and bright tonight, even though the eerie darkness that covered this forest was still very much present.

"Hey! Is someone up there?" the shinobi yelled to the person.

There was no movement to indicate the person heard him.

So he tried again. "Do you need help? Are you okay? You know, I'll completely understand if your tongue got stuck on ice!"

Suddenly, the figure moved.

* * *

><p>The girl, not knowing why this creature was being so noisy when there were so many predators waiting to be woken up, stood on the tree branch despite her wishes not to. It wasn't safe to be around something when it was making a racket; every forest resident knew that. It attracted unwanted attention from unwanted animals. From <em>armed<em> animals. Teeth, claws, talons, fangs, hooked beaks, venom, muscle, you name it. They were equipped to kill.

Pushing aside her fear of falling, she jumped easily from her branch to another, speedily calculating where she would land next.

"Hey, wait! You're a ninja!" the thing yelled after her.

To her this was no longer a creature to be wary of, this was a monster to be avoided. He seemed to _want_ to be killed. But, then again, he could do what he willed; she, on the other hand, was getting out before any harm could come.

She had gotten a little ways away, but not yet enough to be considered a reasonable distance, before she lost her footing on one of the lubricious branches. She tried to catch herself, but the piece of wood was so slick that she couldn't hold on and ended up falling. Thankfully she wasn't injured; the snow cushioned her fall. Not to say that it didn't still hurt...

Immediately the strange thing she had been trying to escape had caught up to her in surprisingly little time. She slapped the snow off the ground and into his face, another desperate distraction to boost her evasiveness and buy her some more time. It hardly worked; the moment she attempted to get up, the thing had wrapped its hands around her ankle, effectively tripping her.

This wasn't good; being down here in this deep snow, even if just for awhile, jeopardized health. Hypothermia could set in, and both of them could die. She didn't care about him, but she wasn't that eager to perish before spring came. At least then she could die warm.

* * *

><p>Naruto finally had a hold on her. She couldn't escape. There was no doubt in his mind that this girl was not a demoness, but in fact, a ninja from a different village. Only shinobi knew how to control their chakra to the level of being able to swiftly and effortlessly move from one branch to another in a timely retreat. She still struggled to be liberated of his grasp, but that wasn't going to happen, mostly because his hands were becoming so numb by now that it was hard to control them. He'd have a hard time letting go of the mysterious girl's ankle.<p>

"Tell me who you are!" he demanded.

She wouldn't answer. This pretty much proved her as a ninja from a foreign village. She had killed one of our shinobi, scared the rest of the villagers, and now she could finally be brought to justice for her crimes against the Leaf. She looked like she could be from anywhere, from the Hidden Sound to the Hidden Stone. Maybe even somewhere in the Lightning Country... It really didn't matter where she was from; she would be punished severely for falling one of the strongest of the Leaf village ninja.

He managed to mount her back and hold her hands behind her, restricting any hope of escape. He had to wait until the girl stopped squirming, which right now she was doing pretty violently. But, once he had the girl calmed down enough to talk to, he demanded her name again. He made sure his voice was stern and masculine; he needed to sound tough against a tough shinobi.

She only panted and wouldn't reply. This made it a difficult situation for the blond-headed boy. There might be no way he could get her to reveal anything. Or...or maybe that wasn't it. Maybe she just couldn't understand what he was saying, maybe she couldn't understand English. That was a valid possibility.

"Como se llama?" he asked, in Spanish.

There was nothing that indicated she knew what he was saying.

Ninja were required to learn how to ask this question, along with the question "What are you doing here?" in many different languages. this way they could communicate and figure out which language the person would respond to. Then when they got back, they could have a translator translate that person's words.

"Onamae wa nandesu ka?" Japanese, no response. "Ni jiao shen ma ming zi?" Chinese, no response. "Quid est nomen tuum?" Latin, no response. "Nanu heya ga lalu' su'?" Taiwanese. "Comment t'appelles tu?" French. "Irumi muoshimnikka?" Korean. "Wie heissen Sie?" German. "Qual o seu nome?" Portuguese. "Si quheni je tutem?" Yugoslavian. "Pos se lene?" Greek. "Come ti chiami?" Italian. "Mika on nimesi?" Finnish. "Cili eshte emri juaj?" Albanian. "Kakbo e baweto nme?" Bulgarian. "Hvad er dit navn?" Danish. "Kako ti je ime?" Croatian. "Apa nama Anda?" Indonesian. "Beth yw eich enw?" Welsh. "Jina lako?" Swahili. "Ten cua ban la gi?" Even Vietnamese.

She didn't seem to know any of them. She had settled down to the point of pure confusion. She didn't move anymore, just panted heavily in an effort to regain her breath. The mysterious girl never took her eyes from him. She wasn't giving him any kind of strange, foreign look. She was terrified; he knew just by looking into those rich emerald eyes of hers. They were truly beautiful, those eyes. In the soft light of the near-full moon, they looked just like precious gemstones. However, as amazing as it was to behold such a captivating sight, he knew better than to be seduced into letting her simply couldn't be trusted after killing one of his own and frightening the small children, making them feel as if they were under constant threat. She was a menace that had to be put to justice. No, she was beyond a menace... Just looking at her made him angry; she mocked him with her refusal to reply to anything he said, she tried to look as a seductress would, she even made herself look so scared...all just so she could get him to liberate her! It was sickening, really.

* * *

><p>The girl tried to stay still. She had encountered these beings before; they were things to be feared. They were to be feared because they were not known. Every animal had a natural, innate fear of the unknown. And indeed they were unknown! They uttered such strange sounds, and so many of them. They never seemed to eat the food the forest generously offered. They rarely were seen wandering through the forest, but when they were, she hid. It was the only reasonable thing to do. After all, if the animals hid, it meant <em>hide<em>.

She was getting to the point of freezing. Her lips were becoming blue, her skin getting ever-paler. Her shivering had died down. Now she felt hot instead of cold. Hypothermia was already beginning to bore its chilling claws into her. Having this thing on top of her didn't help. Maybe...if she just tried to shake it off...

* * *

><p>The girl abruptly started bucking under him. But because he weighed roughly three times more than her, it wasn't that hard to keep her down. It was kind of sad, actually. Although she looked healthy and fit at first glance, when closer examined she was underweight. It wasn't too bad, not to the point where her skin was falling off her body, but to the trained eye she was, to say the least, hungry. Perhaps the cat carcass he'd found was her only source of food that day.<p>

It didn't make sense... A ninja; she had no weapons, hadn't used a jutsu, and might even struggle to catch her own food. ...No, that couldn't be it. It was most likely a training exercise, and he'd caught her in the middle of it. Yes, that made perfect sense! And judging from her current condition, she was practicing an endurance exercise.

He smirked. Once he got back, he would be revered as a hero for making the forest safe again. All he needed to do was take her with him. Once the Hokage's judgment was passed, the girl would be sentenced to whatever Grandma Tsunade decided.

* * *

><p>Her body felt hot, burning! The snow around her was knee-deep, and when on the ground, she was impressed in the snow. Then, to make it worse, it was starting to snow again. She knew she had to get back to her tree burrow. If she didn't, she could die. So would her assailant, but for now she could only afford to worry about herself. Life in the wild, untamed forest wasn't easy. Every day was a blessing, a gift. If you were lucky enough to survive to see the next day, or in her case, night, then that made you one of the strong ones amid so many weak. The larger animals, herself included, had a much harder time foraging for the measly scraps they could find. Most of the birds had flown south for the winter. Very few birds remained. This made hunting that much more difficult. Then there was the everlasting competition for meals; occasionally another predator or scavenger searching for food would come across her. She could never fight them or stand her ground. She wouldn't last against them. She'd learned this the hard way. In this forest, many animals with sharp, hooked claws and long, menacing fangs strived to live.<p>

The girl, along with the hundreds of animals who shared the forest, knew strife all too well, and was a frequent visitor.

But now all that hard work seemed to have gone to waste. The tiresome struggle to survive, the taxing task of strategizing for the next meal, and the daunting work of collecting meals nightly... it was all for nothing. Now she was going to become the meal for this creature.

It was all she could do to wait for her final breath.


	2. Chapter 2

~Chapter 2~

This girl was strange... Exactly how long had she actually _lived_ in the boscage? Her hair was ridiculously long. It was dirty, greasy, and very matted. It had burs scattered throughout. Small, but still noticeable because of their multitude, clumps of dirt and probably other debris were trapped by strands of hair. The matting made it no better and definitely didn't do anything to help. Surely the matted points pulled on her scalp. It must've hurt when she was struggling to get free, as he was sitting not just on her back, but also on her hair. He wondered if this kind of hair damage could be fixed just by brushing it out. It was very doubtful by the looks of it.

He shook all thoughts of how filthy the girl was out of his head. It didn't matter; how many times need he tell himself that? The main objective was getting this strange ninja to the village, where she could be assessed and judged. Of course, no testimony would do her any good. They'd already found the corpse of the jounin that had once strayed into this part of the forest. That fact alone would be enough to have her killed.

Then again, she wasn't likely to just surrender and let him lead her to her deathbed. She knew what was coming, and she would fight back relentlessly for the sake of her life. Why she was being so calm now, he didn't know. Perhaps she was becoming numb from the lack of winter clothing; all she had on was a soiled gown that looked like it was getting too small in size. Nevermind why she was now stationary; she would try to defend herself eventually, as all living beings did.

Thankfully, all shinobi were required to carry a powerful anesthetic on them in the form of a medical needle. This type of needle, however, was specially made for a shinobi. It was built to make a quick and speedy injection. The only catch was that they had to stick it straight into an artery or vein. If it hit an artery, it would start working much faster; a vein was fine, but it would start working more slowly than if it were an artery.

Naruto unsheathed the anesthetic and popped off the protective cap. He held the safe end, the end without the needle, in his mouth. He dared not let go of her wrists, just in case she tried to make an escape. He used his free hand to push aside her long pink hair, exposing the pallid skin of her neck. He felt around a bit for an artery, and it didn't take long before he found it. He took the shot out off his mouth and positioned it right over the artery.

* * *

><p>The girl waited, quite patiently actually, for the overwhelming agony to come. There was no agony, but there was a sharp, short-lived pang in her neck. In just a few meager minutes, she felt herself growing unimaginably drowsy. Her eyes and body felt heavy, and against her wishes, her breathing evened out dramatically. All fear and panic floated away, and her thoughts became muddled. Soon she reached the point of absentmindedness. She closed her eyes and entered a dreamless, deep dormancy.<p>

* * *

><p>Naruto dragged the girl's flaccid body back to the village. It didn't take too much time. It was the dead of night, sure, but at least he had something better than evidence to show for his hard work of searching for and capturing the "demoness". He could hardly wait until they found out she was actually just an enemy ninja! Not just that, but it would be <em>him<em> who would become a hero, having solved the mystery of the dreaded and much loathed demoness that lived and killed in the forest.

As soon as he was in the village, he told the entrance guards to wake Lady Tsunade. One of the two, both of whom were on night shift, bolted toward the Hokage's building once he saw the unconscious pink-haired girl, who Naruto held by the arms.

While the other guard had gone to warn Tsunade, the remaining guard decided to probe Naruto for information.

"So... Mind telling me what you're doing out this late with a half-frozen girl?" he asked, only a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

Naruto looked quietly at the girl before answering, "I found her out in the forest. She's the ninja who killed one of our strongest jounin. This is the supposed 'demoness' of Pink Moon."

"Hm... Hard to believe a tiny girl like her could hurt a fly, let alone a strong jounin from the Leaf."

"I know. That was my first thought, too. She tried to kill me by flinging sharp icicles at my head."

"Resourceful," he commented.

At that moment, the legendary blond-haired sanin, Lady Tsunade, and her brunette assistant, Shizune, came to the front entrance of the village. Upon seeing Naruto and his quarry, Tsunade gained a baffled expression. Her eyes seemed to ask him, "What on Earth is going on here?"

The genin picked up the limp girl and moved her so Tsunade could see her clearly.

"She's not from around here," the sanin observed.

"Who is this girl, Naruto?" Shizune asked.

"She's a ninja from another village. She posed as the demoness of Pink Moon and she was the one who killed that jounin," he replied.

After examining her closely, she noticed that garb this girl wore had no pockets or folds for hiding or storing weapons of any sort. All she had was a dirty, stained gown. And, upon closer inspection, her hair was long, overgrown, and matted. That may have been from living in he forest and possibly losing her comb or brush. The gown, however, was very strange garment for a ninja to wear, especially at this season. It was cold in the village, but it was three times colder in the forest, probably five times in Pink Moon. It was because the air in the village was, compared to that of the forest, warmed by the fires that burned in each home. This air spread a certain amount into the forest, but Tsunade highly doubted it would spread all the way into Pink Moon. So for this girl to wear such thin clothing...and at night, too, when the temperatures stooped to inhospitable levels, was almost unthinkable. Any sane shinobi would know better than to roam Pink Moon, just because it was the deepest part of the forest, without putting on wintery clothes, like scarves or thick coats.

"Funny...she doesn't look like a ninja," she mumbled.

Happening to hear the Hokage's words, Naruto told her he thought she was in the middle of endurance training when he found her. He told her how she refused to respond to any language and how he had to give her the anesthetic to prevent her from fighting him, making it that much easier to bring her back to the village to face the crimes she had committed.

Both Shizune and Tsunade listened carefully to the blond's speech. They took into account that he never lied about these kinds of things, and that it would make sense that he would be forced to use such a powerful drug on an equally powerful shinobi. On top of that, the "demoness" in the legends was said to be a girl with pink hair that lived in Pink Moon Forest. This girl fit that description perfectly. It was easy to see how the pieces of the puzzle fit so accurately and flawlessly together.

After finally being able to assess the situation and the girl herself, the Hokage spoke. "Before any punishment can be decided, she needs to thaw out."

Being a skilled medical ninja, Tsunade knew exactly what she was talking about. Everyone did, actually, but she knew the extent and severity of the condition of the girl. The fact that Naruto had used the intense opiate on her already-freezing body was a dangerous move to this girl's health. She couldn't shiver because of the narcotic, and that threatened to kill her by freezing to death. The simple fact that she couldn't move made it even more dangerous because she couldn't warm herself. Her body warmth was probably down by half of what it should be. And sure enough, when Tsunade touched her, she was colder than stone, meaning her surface temperature had already dropped. Hopefully, her core temperature would be at least somewhat good.

"Naruto, get her into the nearest house with a burning fire," she instructed. She didn't even _know_ how long this girl had been out freezing before Naruto found her, and even then she didn't know how long it took him to hold her down, inject the opiate, and bring her back.

The blond-headed shinobi didn't hesitate to obey Tsunade's orders. He picked the girl up bridal-style and carried her to a house about ten yards from the entrance. Once he successfully intruding the residents' privacy, he claimed that his encroachment was an order straight from the Hokage herself. They accepted it without interrogation and allowed the much-hated pink-haired girl to be laid down by their fire.

Throughout the long night, Tsunade and Naruto stayed close by her, in case something went wrong. They took hourly shifts, that way they would each get sleep and the girl could still be minded. The owners of the house had heard the bruit of the pink-haired hellion and now, seeing her inside their own home, produced feelings of animosity and fear. They didn't question the Hokage, but still wondered why she would let such an evil thing live. They fueled the fire three times during the night, unable to sleep knowing the demoness that haunted Pink Moon Forest was now resting and regaining warmth inside their house. They didn't know how she survived in the forest, but they wished she would go back or die. Perhaps she could wander into one of their neighboring villages, one that wasn't an ally. Definitely not the Hidden Sand! Gaara was in the Hidden Sand, and he was so powerful... That particular village was one of their strongest and most loyal allies; in times of war or trouble, they could easily receive assistance from the shinobi of the Sand.

* * *

><p>The girl woke to nothing in particular. She couldn't move her body, as she soon discovered. She didn't know whether she could make noises or not, but she didn't make an endeavor to try it. She couldn't. If she was alive, that meant the creature must still be near. She had no idea what made her swoon; she fancied it was was the icy clasp of winter, trying to freeze her solid.<p>

She detected a very soft glow. It took her awhile to descry it because the anesthetic was still in effect, but was beginning to slowly subside. Above her was something...she couldn't really distinguish it. It looked like the top of something; maybe it was her underground abode? Had it all been a dream?

She tried to move her fingertips, just to be sure. They didn't move. Only her eyes moved, and they moved languidly. It wasn't easy to overcome the drug's effects; she was still groggy, discombobulated, and disarrayed. It still seemed as if she was trapped in some kind of afflicting dream. Everything seemed so surreal and otherworldly; it would normally be frightening. Fortunately, she was too addled to think properly.

It had to be at least two hours before she found the energy to sit up. Even then it was hard on her; the narcotic had yet to completely loosen is hold. Its effects still clung tightly to her. She could move, though, and that was enough for her. She could now comprehend things at a much faster rate than before. The creature that had, by the looks of things, captured her, surprisingly enough slept soundly and did not wake to her movements.

Sluggishly, she stood up. The girl was very fluctuant on her feet; she had to lean against a wall just to keep her equilibrium. She put one foot in front of the other and began toward another wall, feeling the exigency to decamp from the alien place. It was hard to believe she actually managed to end up at the predator's den. It was literally the belly of the beast. She didn't know where she was or why she was here, all she knew was that she had to get out one way or another. She also despised how warm it was in here. It was winter; it wasn't supposed to be this balmy and toasty. What was going on here? Why _was_ it so warm and comfortable? Why wasn't she in the forest? Where exactly had this creature brought her? Was this where the strange beings originated from? If so, she knew it was a huge mistake to be here.

Another creature, different from the one slumbering, came in from a wooden archway to find her up and functioning again. The cessation of movement didn't last very long. This new, unfamiliar creature shouted something, she assumed it was to wake the other creature, an the other one shot up. He took only a second's time frame to evaluate the situation before lunging at the girl.

She moved out of his way just in time to allow him to slam himself into the wall.

The other creature shouted something else to the first one, and the first one said something back. They were probably surprised at how nimble she was even with the opiate still in effect.

Still shaky, she ran along the wall to try to find a good place to hide from them. It only lead her to more disaster. She had entered a room where there was a bed and some kind of smooth, clear rock that blocked the only opening she could find. She didn't understand any of the things these creatures possessed! Why would they have something blocking an escape route? It was insanity, madness! No wonder they never ate; they were all mentally ill, every last one of them!

More creatures arrived, but one of the smaller ones hid behind the biggest. Why did they hide from her? Didn't they want to eat her? Was she not their prey? Well, perhaps this one was too young to hunt. She certainly looked like a miniature of the others.

The girl shook the thought out of her head. It didn't matter anyway! There were still the larger ones out to get her.

Almost on reflex, she kicked down the clear rock that covered the opening and hopped out of it. Immediately the frigid winter air lashed out at her. Although she was unprepared for this, she was so used to the freezing climate that she quickly recovered from the brief shock and stomped through the snow. It was harder than it should've been, but she was doing well, taking note that the anesthetic hadn't completely worn off yet. And to add something, it was a huge upside that it hadn't worn off yet. That clear rock had shattered at the mercy of her foot, and upon jumping out, she sustained a deep laceration on her left leg. It traveled from right below her knee to halfway down her leg. It was a really good thing she couldn't feel it right now, otherwise walking would be twice as hard.

* * *

><p>Tsunade watched silently as Naruto ran out the door. The crash they'd heard in one of the two bedroom was either a mirror or a window, right now she was pulling for the window. When she inspected the room, she was proven right. The window had been assaulted and destroyed, the evidence all over the floor. It was then that something discordant caught her attentions. Red liquid was sliding down one of the sharp points that had remained loyal to the window and refused to be knocked down. It was incontestably the girl's blood. She'd clearly hurt herself when she jumped out, but with the drug still in effect, she probably hadn't felt it. Not yet, anyways; but once that anesthetic wore off, she would feel it for at least five days.<p>

Tsunade had to hand it to that girl, she was quite an impressive ninja; even with that strong an anesthetic she'd managed to force her body to move according to her will. That drug was an aggressive drug that should've lasted at least ten hours; she had regained consciousness somewhere around six and a half to seven hours. At least, that was her best guess; she didn't know when exactly Naruto had used the anesthetic, so it was a decent estimate.

This ninja was a cunning opponent.

* * *

><p>The girl ran as fast, and as balanced, as she could to the masses of snow-covered trees that could be spotted from even the ground. But to get over that great wall... She calculated a good landing spot on a low rooftop just a little ways off. She could jump on it and jump on the taller rooftop next to it, then she could leap on the wall and over it, freeing herself from this evil, forsaken place.<p>

Although in her mind doing this was easy, it was difficult for her body to follow its orders, especially to capriole onto even the lowest roof. It took too much time to grab hold of the ledge and try to hoist herself up. That first weird creature had been following her. He now grabbed onto her dangling legs and pulled her to the ground.

He yelled something; it seemed as though it was directed toward her. She didn't care what noises this thing made, even if it _was_ to her. She spread her arms and pressed on the ground, through the snow that covered it. She got up only to be restricted by the monstrosity that dared call itself part of the food chain. He had his arms wrapped around her, hands to her sides. There was nothing to do but fight back now. Instinct and fear pushed her to fight as much as she could, but it didn't seem to be enough. Just by bending its back, the creature lifted her off the ground.

She bucked back and forth, but tired quickly. It was thanks to the narcotic that she couldn't function at her full capacity. That really sucked for her right now...

* * *

><p>Tsunade waited patiently for Naruto's return. And now she had to wait no longer. Naruto burst through the door, the girl violently resisting him. She was kicking her legs, squirming, trying to bang her head into his, the whole nine yards.<p>

"Hurry up and help me already, Grandma Tsunade!" he called out.

The girl squirmed her way out of his arms when his grip weakened a bit, and Naruto had to settle for keeping a tight hold on her wrist while she fought with awesome vigor. Upon seeing the opportunity, the sannin ran to aid him. She grabbed the girl's other arm and held it just as tightly, if not more than, Naruto. She still tried to get free, but it seemed more like she knew she couldn't, despite her endeavors.

"This chick's nuts..." the blond huffed.

Tsunade didn't answer. She looked deeply into the pink-haired girl's eyes. She saw the sheer will to live, the fire that burned so fiercely. She saw desperation, fear, and confusion, as well as spirit and life. Those beryl eyes of hers possessed such intensity that it seemed to bore into even the Hokage's soul. They did not glare or give mean looks; they were innocent and showed only what she felt. They were the eyes of a young child. Right now they told Tsunade that she was feeling uneasy and reluctant. She wouldn't give in. Her spirit was untamed and until now, had never once been restrained.

Finally, with a grunt of pain and exhaustion, the girl slumped to her knees while the two reputable shinobi held her in their makeshift cuffs.

Naruto kept his clutch on the girl with one hand while he used his other to pop another anesthetic. Before he could stick it into her, however, the Hokage ordered him to stop. She told him not to use it again, that the first one still hadn't worn off yet and that it could prove fatal to add another dose of _anything_ that powerful.

* * *

><p>The girl started to feel a slight pain in her leg and looked down to find blood...her blood...pooling around her lower leg. It wasn't a heavy pain, so she shouldn't be hurt this badly... Why was she bleeding? She hadn't done anything to hurt herself. Unless...unless these aliens did it to her when she wasn't paying attention. Well, no, that couldn't be it. She had been paying very close attention the whole time. But still...where did this injury come from?<p>

She gazed quietly as the blood trickled from her wound onto the floor, where it was halfway reflecting the fire that needed to be refreshed. Soft tendrils licked at the chimney. It looked gentle, but she knew that fires were bad. This one seemed to be kept tame, somehow, but if it got out of control she would have to bolt. Right now it looked like it was dying; its flames weren't that intense and it hardly spat out many embers. It felt much safer this way. Now that the fire was no longer a threat, what about these things?

* * *

><p>"We'll have to get her cleaned up. She also has a large cut on her leg that needs to be treated. By the looks of her, I'd say she could also do good to eat something," Tsunade said, more of a command given to Naruto than a sentence.<p>

"So which one are we doing first?" he asked.

"Well, I can have her bathe while I cook someth-"

"Can it be ramen?"

"No."

He sighed and waited for a further order.

"Now, you said she didn't answer to any language... Either she doesn't know any of them, or she's refusing to talk," the sannin pondered.

"She didn't look like she knew what I was saying, no matter what I said," he added.

From his comment stemmed, "So then for now we can assume she doesn't know any of the languages. Well, I can lead her into the bathroom and prepare the bathwater; then she'll get the hint and start bathing. After that I can go cook something to eat; I'm getting a little hungry myself."

"What about her clothes?" the genin asked. "All she has is that gown and it's so filthy. Even if _she_ gets clean..." He let his voice trail off for effect.

Tsunade got his point and nodded. "Yeah, we'll have to wash her clothes as well."

* * *

><p>It only took minutes before the girl was being pushed into a different room in the creatures' den. It was so strange, this room. There was a large basin, so large she could probably fit in it, in the corner of the room. On the other side there was something white; she didn't know what it was exactly. Or actually, there were two white things. One was tall, and the other was short.<p>

In a few seconds, the sound of water could be heard splattering on the inside of the basin. Already thirsty, she ran to see the spectacle. She bent over the side of the basin and reached for a drink, but as soon as she touched the water, she jerked her hand back. This couldn't be water! Water was always cold; this stuff was room-temperature, at very least. What exactly _was_ this stuff?

The creature that accompanied her made some kind of hiccuping noises and made some other weird sounds. It only took seconds for the girl to realize this thing was trying to communicate with her. She didn't know what to do. Communication wasn't exactly her best quality. She had little experience with these creatures, and could only remember a vague portion of her past encounters. Therefore, she had absolutely no way to tell them what she wanted or needed. She could try to mimic the sounds these things made, but it might not end well. What if it confused them? What if it provoked them?

Once the basin was filled with the clear, now-hot liquid, the creature gestured toward it. The pink-haired girl didn't know what to do. Again, this was most certainly a communication thing, but what was she trying to tell her? Maybe she was supposed to leave...? No, no, the last time she tried to leave she'd been captured and taken back. All she could do was stare at this thing and hope it understood how baffled she was. If it didn't understand her...then what?

The creature merely gestured, again, to the basin.

The girl was thirsty, yes, but she was also quite hungry. Since there wasn't anything to drink here, maybe she could find food elsewhere. Unfortunately, that didn't seem to be a possibility. As soon as she crept toward the door she came through, the alien pulled her back and slapped the liquid around a little bit. Some of the droplets seemed to hover in the air before vanishing into the larger body. To be sure, she sniffed the strange liquid. It smelled just like water, but much, _much_ warmer. Trying to imitate the creature, she dipped her fingertips in and splashed it a little. It felt like water... Maybe this stuff was water after all. Maybe that was what the creature was trying to tell her.

She put her whole hand in and cupped it, bringing back up a handful of the strange water. In the wild, water was not wasted, and she took it where she could find it.

* * *

><p>As Tsunade watched the girl drink bathwater from her hand, she wondered about this girl's origination. For instance, where did she hail from? It was looking less and less like this girl, <em>this<em> girl, could slaughter a jounin. Could it have been possible that she happened to be there when the incident took place, but hadn't actually been involved in it? Anything was possible, really, but that was a slim chance considering how few ventured into Pink Moon Forest. Still..._if_ that was the case, then where was this girl from? And more importantly, why was she found in the forest that enclosed itself around the Hidden Leaf village? What business did she have there? Then there was the disturbing matter of her apparel and her condition. She looked disgusting and smelled even worse.

What was so strange is that she didn't seem too keen on communication. Something just wasn't right; every girl knew how to take a bath. No, every girl knew what a bath _was_. This one didn't look as though she knew. she should've taken the hint as soon as she got the water running, so why didn't she? She had looked so bewildered by the water... Why...?

And even more concerning...why was she _drinking_ bath water?

* * *

><p>Now that the pink-haired girl had drank her fill of water, her hunger took main priority, alongside keeping a watchful eye one these aliens. She was starving. While she was in the forest, she hadn't been fruitful in her attempts to seek out food. Now she was in a new territory controlled by whatever these beings were. Now she might be able to find food. Even if she couldn't, there was always wood. She'd seen the majestic deer in her homeland eat the bark off trees during winter. She had tried to do the same, but found it wasn't easy on her stomach. Wood had become a last resort. However, now was different. If she couldn't find any food, she would have to dine lightly on the stuff. Why? An easy question; she needed something, some kind of substance, in her stomach. It took away the hunger pangs and the constant aching that came with them. Yes, she would throw it up later, but the hunger had to be quelled one way or another.<p>

The creature that had shoved her into the room with the strange water made no effort to stop or catch her as she walked out and decided to roam around the den, looking for that one something that would graciously allow her to live another day. That something that was the rarity of food, which everything in the forest considered too precious to be wasted on frivolities.

The first creature she met, the one who supposedly brought her to this evil, forsaken place, held out something reddish-brownish. It looked shriveled and dry. It definitely wasn't food. And, even if it was, she wouldn't take it from him. That was _his_ food. The laws of the forest had governed her for so long now, and one of those laws was not to take another creature's food. Though, in the case of the vicious, thickly-coated gray wolf packs, this law applied only unless the food was regurgitated. To a normal person, this would sound repulsive and utterly disgusting. To this girl, though, it was life, it was a way to survive in the harsh wilderness that was her home.

In fact, this pink-haired girl had picked up many, many things from living in the wild. She didn't know she was a human, and was supposed to live by human rules and not forest rules, but she had gained valuable knowledge from living as she had for all those lonely, savage years. For instance, she could mimic most sounds of the forest-dwellers quite precisely. Precisely enough, in fact, to fool the animals themselves sometimes. Occasionally this came in very handy. Sometimes a predator would venture too close to her little tree cavity, and she could identify the trespasser and scare it off with a sharp screech or a low, threatening growl. However, this business was very risky, with extremely high stakes. If it wasn't scared away, she would give it her position. Thankfully, she hadn't had to worry about that, as each predator had fled from her charade.

The creature moved closer to her and shook the little weird thing in his hand, muttering what sounded like, "It's just jerky; take it already."

In a wolf pack, she observed small pups cock their heads at noises they hadn't heard or learned to identify. It showed their confusion and interest; it showed they were listening intently but didn't know what to do, how to act, or how to respond. Many times they cocked their heads at other wolves howling, or owlets screeching and begging for a mouse their mother had brought back to the nest hole.

She cocked her head, being as it was the only thing she knew to do at the time.

"It's jerky. Jer-ky. You know, like dried meat?" the thing continued.

These creatures were so strange, foreign! They uttered interesting and curious sounds, things she'd never heard before. She could imitate wolves and owls and many other animals only because she had learned their voices and practiced their cries. However, these sounds were so different from the ones she was accustomed to hearing. They were...well...honestly, she had no idea what it sounded like; it had no relation to any animal noises. They were nothing of nature, in which she had lived her whole existence. It was only natural she couldn't understand them.


	3. Chapter 3

~Chapter 3~

"Ugh... It's not like it's poisoned or anything! Take it or leave it; it's the only decent thing I could find around here," he mumbled.

The pink-haired mystery girl began looking around. She turned her back to the creature and got on her knees, crawling around, trying to find clay or insects, anything she normally found edible.

* * *

><p>Naruto sighed heavily. It was official; she had no idea what he was saying. This was indeed confirmed by her actions. Though, why she was on her knees scuttling around, he didn't know. Probably didn't even want to know... Let the girl do what she wanted; she was obviously no threat right now. If anything, she was just plain weird. Currently looking under a chair, she appeared more like an animal than a human being, a scavenger, something without manners or regard for other people. First she'd been found in the deepest part of the woods, then she tried to kill him with icicles, now this? What more was he going to be forced to put up with?<p>

"Naruto," Tsunade murmured as she eased her way into the kitchen, "she's not a shinobi."

The blond's head snapped up in an instant at the unreal comment made by the _Hokage_. "What do you mean?"

"Think about it for a second. She won't speak to us; she doesn't even seem to know what we're trying to get her to do. She lacks human communication, Naruto. It's not exactly a matter of her _refusal_ to speak to us, but a matter of _inability_ to speak to us," she explained. "Now, look at her very closely. I'm not sure where she got that gown, but any shinobi would know it's not hygienic or healthy to wear something that filthy. Her hair obviously hasn't been washed, brushed, or cut in ages, _years_ by the looks of it."

Looking at her, her hair spanned past her ankles, dragging slightly behind her on the ground. It was feathered at the end, meaning it really didn't have any care. Which also meant it really had never been cut. If not for the debris and tangles, her hair would dust the ground wherever she went.

He moaned in thought. "It might be a trick. She might be trying to get us to believe that so she could go back to whatever village she came from."

"Something tells me this is no trick. Tell me, did she eat the jerky you offered her?"

"No, she just cocked her head and started doing..._this_." He gestured over to the strange girl, now squeezing herself between the top of the cabinets and the ceiling. Her stomach growled pitifully.

"I thought as much. I think you've made a mistake. She's not a ninja, but a girl you found in the wild," she remarked.

"Yeah, but she could be both for all we know," he rebutted.

"No; there's no doubt in my mind that this girl is wild. She's no more dangerous to us than a little baby gopher."

"I don't know, Grandma Tsunade... She still seems kinda fishy, if you ask me," he said.

"Naruto, I won't argue with you, but keep a close eye on her, just so you can see for yourself. Then, after about a week or so, judge whether she's an enemy ninja or a feral girl."

To him she might always be an enemy ninja, but right now he really understood why anyone would think of her as a girl raised in the wilderness. Did that make her a cave-woman? If so, where were her parents? Her siblings, cousins, any other relatives or kindred she might have? If she was truly feral, like Grandma Tsunade said, then why did she not know how to interact with people? She had to be raised by someone! That someone...who was it? It was highly unlikely he knew the person, or people, but what happened to her family? No infant could survive without humans to rear it...right? There were summoning animals, but he doubted an infant would know a jutsu!

* * *

><p>The girl looked over at the creature, having just managed to release herself from the tight space in between the cabinet and the ceiling. There were no bugs. There had been no food! It brought her to wonder where these things got their energy from. Perhaps they could pass some of it onto her...somehow. Honestly, these creatures could do amazing things, bewildering to her! It truly was magic! Therefore, they might be able to give her energy. Food would be the best kind of energy; oh, she hoped it was sweet, delicious food!<p>

She had observed young mammals in the forest nudge their mothers with their heads, and afterward they were rewarded generously with food. It was very common for kits especially to nudge their sly mother fox. She figured if she did the same, she might be rewarded, for her efforts to communicate if nothing else. Normally she wouldn't do this to such strange predators, but...she was desperate.

The girl walked timidly and reluctantly up to the alien. He was taller than her, and being as she was taller than most animals of the forest, he was also much more intimidating. She stopped and hesitated for a few moments when he turned to look at her. She had never willingly gotten this close to one of them... What if what she did angered them? What if it had an adverse effect on them? It would be absolutely horrible if they took it as a threat! However... If she didn't get food soon, she was going to starve to death. She could already feel her stomach trembling at the very thought of even the measly scraps of a dead mouse.

She gently pressed the top of her head on the center of the creature's back. She made sure to emphasize a low bow, as if shrinking away, to show she was no threat. She had seen wolves roll onto their bellies to intimate the same thing, but around these creatures she didn't want to expose any soft areas. Her side, her spine, those were fine. She figured it risky with her head, though, and wasn't going any further.

When she pulled her head back, she let her eyes flickered up to take a quick glance at his mouth. There weren't any teeth showing; there was no immediate sign of aggression. At least that was good...

* * *

><p>Naruto looked down, puzzled. The whole time, this girl had just been sneaking around the house, fitting in spaces no one even thought possible. Was it some kind of wilderness thing to bump one's head against another person? Well, maybe.<p>

He bumped her back. She seemed startled at his action. She even went so far as to take three steps backward. Her eyes seemed to be searching him for something, probably signs of intimidation. Grandma Tsunade was right...there was no way this girl was a ninja. Heck, she probably couldn't even throw a kunai! However, it would be safe to just check, right? Well...but how could he check? It wasn't like there was a way to probe her mind...

Wait a second... No, there was a way! He'd had it done to him and it didn't hurt at all. Maybe they could find out alot more about this girl if they just checked her memories. That is, if she had any that weren't about Pink Moon Forest. ...But going that far back...it would take days to do... And all the specialists would be doing would be looking through tree after tree after tree. They would get sick of it eventually and stick her back here to roam around the village.

Having been too lost in his thoughts, Naruto snapped out of them just in time to see the sun rising...and the girl gone.

* * *

><p>The pink-haired "demoness" curled up in her freshly-carved burrow. She was getting tired; the sun was up, and it was time for her to go down. Food hadn't been found tonight, but at least she could hide from other nocturnal predators, knowing that the aliens would protect her. Hopefully, that is. They hadn't killed her yet, and that was good enough so far. Besides, she was so darn tired right now. It had been a long night, and then she spent a huge amount of energy on digging out her temporary shelter. To say the least, she was beat.<p>

She lethargically lifted her hands and proceeded to flop it around in the snow to cover up her little burrow. It would help keep her warm throughout the day, while the sun would help stave off the cold. Her own body heat would encase itself around her, enough so that the air in her shelter would heighten its temperature. It would be passable for the day and keep her alive until night came around. Well, hopefully. There were no grasses or feathers or anything but dirt and snow in the upturned ground. She wanted desperately to get back to her home, instead of stay here in an unknown world with these...things. They infested this place, and she didn't like it. They were noisy, had no food, and produced fire in their own dens! They would never survive where she could.

For that reason she could not be around them. Their world and hers were too different to coexist, and she was from the natural world, the one that was sensible. These creatures couldn't tell a bird from a porcupine. And...she wanted to get back. Her hollowed-out tree cavity was waiting for her. It seemed already as if it called her from a distance so far yet so close. Her life had been taken away by these creatures, she would leave when the moon revealed its glory.

Sadly, right as she was about to drift off into complete dormancy, sounds unbeknownst to her began splaying all over the place. To her left, her right, up above, straight ahead... These creatures had no idea what kind of predators they would attract! They would get themselves killed and worse, her leg was still seeping blood, meaning she would die with them. In fact, she would probably be the first to die thanks to the rock that guarded their exit. It was like smooth ice, yet could be shattered so easily. This was not what she was accustomed to. She needed to get out of here and fast, before a daytime predator seeked out its next meal.

"Strange girl?!" she heard one of the things call.

Maybe learning a sound or two wouldn't be that bad, so long as she only used it scare away predators that were scared off by these creatures.

She hissed in pain. The laceration on the front of her leg had opened up and began leaking more red liquid. She was too exhausted after last night, when she attempted to escape. The exigency of the situation was far worse now that her leg was bleeding again. She had to rest, had to sleep...but how? All these strange beings ever did was make unnecessary noises. If they died it was their own fault. She would have nothing to do with these aliens.

* * *

><p>"Naruto!" Lady Tsunade called out, seeming to demand his attention rather than ask it.<p>

He immediately turned around, his eyes still darting furiously around, trying to pinpoint the location of the strange nameless girl who was found in the loathed and dreadfully empty Pink Moon Forest, the same forest that had apparently been named after her, an unknowing tribute to an equally unknowing girl.

"Naruto," she repeated, this time more calmly.

His eyes landed on her, as well as his attentions.

She took a breath. "Take her back to where you found her."

The blonde-headed shinobi's jaw dropped and his shoulders sagged. He was unable to conceive what he had just been ordered to do. This command came from the Hokage herself but...this was outrageous. Nothing was known about this girl! Nothing at all and now he was to return her to whence she came? Well, more like to whence he dragged her from. He realized last night that he had made a mistake by capturing the feared demoness of Pink Moon Forest, only to realize that the killer demoness had actually been a female shinobi, then to realize again that the female shinobi was actually nothing more than a feral pink-haired girl who had somehow survived in the wilderness for all this time. Nobody even knew how long she had been out there all by herself...

"But," Tsunade added, "I want you to pack up. You're going to keep an invisible eye on her for the first week, then report back to me everything you've observed. If you find anything suspicious, bring her back here. If, however, she's truly learned to live out there on her own, leave her."

Tsunade sounded more serious than ever now that a strange new presence had been introduced to her village. The Hidden Leaf was to be protected at all costs, she longed to make sure her people were safe. This girl was, as of far, no threat. As the Hokage, however, it was her duty to prove her theory right. To do this she would send the pink-haired girl back to the forest to be watched at all times.

* * *

><p>He sighed and sat on the stairs, still unable to fully process what he had been told to do. But processed or not, his top priority was actually finding the girl. Humans didn't normally vanish, especially in the morning. To add to all this, the girl had no idea what to do around here, around the Hidden Leaf. He didn't know how she would react to all those people wandering the village, and how would the residents react to her? She had no true means of communication and thus no way to function properly in the realm of her own kind.<p>

He would have to wait. Thankfully she wouldn't have gone too far, considering she had nowhere to go but back to him.

In the meantime he thought about her, all about her. She had to have been raised by humans, obviously, yet she seemed to have no family to take care of her or teach her how humans were supposed to act. It left another question about her: how did she wind up in Pink Moon? And further so, how did she _live_ in Pink Moon? Being as it was the deepest part of the entire forest, the winter temperatures there had to have plummeted a whopping eighty degrees. Perhaps more. She also had on nothing more than an old gown, not nearly enough to keep her even remotely warm. Where did she sleep out in those freezing wastelands known to her as home? How did she manage to withstand all the ice and snow that seemed to block out life for the rest of the forest inhabitants? Even the plants were dead and shriveled, how was it that a thin girl like her was able to live as so? And what did she eat? Or more importantly, when was the last time she ate? The girl was obviously going hungry. She was overly thin and to be frank, she was boney. She didn't know what human food was.

Well actually, she didn't know what anything was. She was dumbstruck by the idea of being in a building, surrounded by other humans. She was terrified of him and every human like him. The blonde was told she even drank bathwater. She wouldn't accept the jerky he offered her. She couldn't understand anything anyone said. She...she just couldn't do anything in here in this village. It was apparent that this girl had lived her entire life outside in the wild and somehow learned to survive _and_ she managed to keep from freezing to death. Which brought up yet another question amongst the hundreds that he seemed to have, each one going unanswered so far. How did she defend herself out there? Humans on their own had no defenses, no arms. They only had intellect on their side and this girl obviously couldn't invent anything. Her nails, he remembered, had been cut, meaning she'd been chewing on them as a resort to file them down. It also meant that she couldn't use them for cutting through anything or scraping something off. It truly baffled him as to how she functioned. She worked for her food, that much was obvious from the fact that she was still alive. Just...what did she eat? Where did she come from exactly, another village, a tribe of other people? Where?

And how did she manage to kill a jonin, if she really was the dangerous killer of Pink Moon Forest? Was she a dangerous killer? Could she actually kill anything? She had no weapons, and humans by themselves weren't equipped to kill. They had no fangs or claws...nothing. Which brought up yet another question: why had she not left Pink Moon? She obviously was there when the jonin died, else the forest wouldn't be named after her. So if she was there when the jonin died, and when the amnesia-stricken man described her and how the forest received its name, it meant she had never left, she had been there the entire time. She could've left that part of the forest. She could've moved from one part to another. But she didn't. She stayed in that one area for all these years and never left its boundaries. Why?

He continued to ask himself curious questions, ones that he doubted half of would ever be answered, until the chilling winds of dusk brought him from his deep thoughts. He hadn't eaten all day. But then...neither had the girl.

He heard shuffling not far beside him and stood up in case of a need to defend himself, or maybe even another person.

From a thin covering of snow, a girl's head popped up and shook off the snow. The head had pink hair. So...she had literally been in the ground this whole time. Why exactly was she in the ground again...?

He walked over to her, careful not to scare her as he did. He put his hands up to show her he meant no harm, but soon realizing she was taking it as a threat, he backed away and put his hands down to his sides.

"Look," he said, knowing she wouldn't be able to understand him anyway, "we're taking you back home."

He held out a hand, offering to help her out of...still disturbingly enough...the ground.

* * *

><p>It reached for her. She'd revealed herself too early. After last night they seemed less harmful but they could still hurt her, kill her even! They really gave her no reason to trust them. She could pull her head back down, but they would dig her up and force her out. Foxes did that all the time, dug out their prey. In fact, many a time she'd encountered foxes trying to dig <em>her<em> out, even though she was much bigger than them. A simple screech usually scared them off but if it didn't, she merely slapped them away. Sadly, as big as she was, the foxes couldn't be killed very easily and could stir up noise when they were. Horrible targets...so she found it better to leave them alone unless it was necessary to come in contact with one.

"Wait a minute," the thing said. "You dug into the ground, so _this_ is how you get out of the weather!"

Noisy. Noisy, noisy, noisy. How could these creatures be so numerous and abundant when all they ever did was made loud sounds? She didn't know, but she wanted no part of it.

"Come on, I know you don't know what I'm saying," it continued, "but your home is back that way."

The thing pointed a small appendage, exactly like one of hers, actually, to the side.

"I'm supposed to take you back there, but you have to come with me."

She did nothing more than look at him. The sounds the aliens made were so...precise. They were unlike anything an animal could make, unlike anything she could verbalize. Their form of communication had to be the most advanced she'd ever seen. From what she had already observed, these things could make a certain number of noises in a certain number of tones, and another one of the same things would do something accordingly. It amazed her, really. One single sound was all it took for another alien to do something.

It brought her to the conclusion that this one was trying to tell her to do something. Unfortunately, she didn't know what this one was saying, nor how to respond to it. All she could do was look and try to pick up any recognizable sounds. There were none.

* * *

><p>It was useless. She didn't know what he was trying to get her to do. She didn't know she needed to get out of the hole and follow him back to Pink Moon Forest. He could use the anesthetic again but it would knock her out for about seven hours. It was supposed to last about ten but with her...it was like she had somehow built up a strong immunity to the stuff and although her body wasn't impregnable, it didn't last nearly as long as it was meant to. But it would be a bad idea anyway because the weather was so frigid that, like Grandma Tsunade said, it could cause her to freeze to death due to lack of core body heat. She wouldn't be able to shiver or tense up to keep herself warm and would eventually die.<p>

Tying her up was always an option, but he was afraid that if she struggled too much, the wound on her leg could open wider. Blood loss was also bad in this kind of weather, and judging by how bloody the remnants of the window were, she'd already lost quite a bit of blood. He hadn't caught a good enough sight of it, but it was obvious that her leg had a brutal gash on it. Now she probably felt it, and feeling that pain would only invoke more resistance.

If only there was a way to let her know he meant no harm, that he wasn't a threat...

He saw her differently now. Last night she had been a nuisance that he was cursed to look after. Tonight she was a frightened girl striving just to live. Tonight she was a girl who wanted freedom so badly she'd severed half the skin on her leg to get it, only to find her efforts in vain.


End file.
